1. Field of the Invention
The present invention, in general, relates to luggage carrying devices used to transport cargo in cooperation with a motor vehicle and, more particularly, to elevated types of vehicle cargo carriers.
Elevated types of cargo carriers are also commonly known as "car top carriers", and the terms are used interchangeably herein to refer to any type of a structure that is used in cooperation with a passenger motor vehicle and is useful for attaching cargo items thereto. Car top carriers, in general, include well known types of luggage racks for use with passenger types of vehicles and with pickup trucks that are attached to the vehicle where convenient, and are often elevated above the roof of the vehicle or above the bed of the pickup truck.
Car top carriers are devices that are useful for the transportation of cargo items that are either too large to fit within the trunk of a vehicle, inside the bed of a pickup truck, or inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle. Also, the space that is provided for the storage of cargo items is severely limited for some types of vehicles, and accordingly, the car top carrier provides a cargo storage area that is necessary for the transportation of even small amounts of cargo. The cargo items are typically placed upon the car top carrier where they are fastened thereto and are thus transported.
Many common types of car top carriers rely upon a clamp of some sort to attach the more common types of car top carriers to the gutter rail of the vehicle. However, convertible and convertible sport utility types of vehicles such as the JEEP brand "WRANGLER" model, SUZUKI brand "SAMURAI" model, GEO brand "TRACKER" model, ISUZU brand "AMIGO" model, and other types of convertible, or "soft-top" vehicles as they are also generally referred to, are difficult to attach a car top luggage carrier to.
Many of the prior types of car top carriers for passenger vehicles, including convertibles, tend to be limited in their cargo carrying capacity, restrict the visibility by the driver to see other hazards or restrict other drivers from seeing the tail lights of the vehicle having the prior type of luggage rack attached, significantly increase wind resistance, or they are considered by some to be aesthetically lacking in appeal.
In addition the range of usage for many of the prior types of car top carriers for soft-top vehicles is limited to a specific purpose such as to transport either small luggage items such as suitcases or skis or alternatively larger items such as canoes, ladders, bicycles, and other like types of cargo.
Certain prior types of cargo racks for pickup trucks also tend to be restrictive as to the load carrying capacity and types of items to be supported, or they do not accommodate pickup trucks which include a camper top type of enclosure over the pickup truck bed area or which include front or side mounted tool boxes. In particular typical contractor usage of pickup trucks often requires that both fragile as well as heavy cargo items be placed together on the bed of the pickup truck.
Similar disadvantages regarding load carrying capacity and the types of items that can be carrier by the car top carrier are also associated with some of the prior types of cargo racks that are used with station wagons, sedans, and other types of passenger vehicles.
Accordingly there exists today a need for an improved vehicle cargo carrier that has an adequate cargo carrying capacity, is versatile, does not restrict visibility excessively, does not increase wind resistance excessively, is adaptable for use with a wide variety of passenger vehicle body types including sedans, station wagons, pickup trucks, convertibles, and is aesthetically appealing. A vehicle cargo carrier that allows for the segregated loading of heavy cargo items apart from fragile cargo items is a useful device for all vehicle types including for use with pickup trucks.
2. Description of Prior Art
Vehicle cargo carriers and luggage racks are, in general, known. For example, the following patents describe various types of these devices:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,492,841 to Burkey, Dec. 27, 1949; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,643,040 to Hare, Jun. 23, 1953; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,779,524 to Carlson, Jan. 29, 1957; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,260,929 to Hedgepeth, Jul. 12, 1963; and PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,538,752 to Welter, Sep. 3, 1985.
While the structural arrangements of the above described devices, at first appearance, have similarities with the present invention, they differ in material respects. These differences, which will be described in more detail hereinafter, are essential for the effective use of the invention and which admit of the advantages that are not available with the prior devices.